The Ford Fiesta remains the UK’s best-selling used car two years after it was axed, 303,090 examples having changed hands last year.
New data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reveals the supermini accounted for 3.9% of all second-hand cars sold in the UK last year.
That reflects both its historic success – with a huge supply of them skewing the figures – as well as continued demand for small, affordable hatchbacks.
Yet the Fiesta remained a significant distance from its nearest competitor, the Vauxhall Corsa, of which 247,853 examples were sold. Next were the larger Volkswagen Golf (226,082) and Ford Focus (218,962).
Notably, all but one of the cars in the SMMT’s top 10 used cars for 2025 were traditional hatchbacks. The outlier was the Nissan Qashqai crossover, which landed in ninth place with 145,207 sales.
Although sales of new petrol and diesel cars have long been in decline, they continue to dominate the used market. Some 4.4 million used petrol cars and almost 2.6 million used diesels were sold last year, compared with 407,531 hybrids.
A total of 274,815 used electric cars changed hands, giving them a market share of 3.5%. Although far behind petrol and diesels, this represented a 45.7% increase compared with 2024 and a record for EVs.
This is only set to accelerate in the coming years, as EVs represent a rapidly increasing proportion of the new car market.
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Used Ford Fiesta 2017-2022 review
For the eighth generation, Ford tread lightly with the new Fiesta. But does that compromise it as a good used purchase?
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As part of Autocar’s news desk, Charlie plays a key role in the title’s coverage of new car launches and industry events. He’s also a regular contributor to its social media channels, creating content for Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook and Twitter.
Charlie joined Autocar in July 2022 after a nine-month stint as an apprentice with sister publication What Car?, during which he acquired his gold-standard NCTJ diploma with the Press Association.
He is the proud owner of a Mk4 Mazda MX-5 but still feels pangs of guilt over selling his first car, a Fiat Panda 100HP.
Family's tend to hang onto THB's longer compared to owners of Fiesta's and Corsa's, which are often used as a first car then sold on a year or two later.
Did Ford make a big mistake not replacing the Fiesta? leaving the Puma as it's entry level car, OK it's selling well in the UK but not everyone wants an SUV it's interesting that in this list of best selling UK used cars is that there is only one SUV in it and that's the Qashqui in ninth position selling under half the amount that the Fiesta sold. Could it be that punters are tiring of SUV's
The Ford Fiesta has always been such a practical choice for families. Seeing it dominate the used car market in 2025 isn't surprising at all. For families with young kids who might be traveling in these hatchbacks, check out Funboxie for some great printable coloring pages and worksheets to keep them entertained! https://funboxie.com
MG 4 EV
8 MG 4 EV
MG 4 EV Urban
MG 4 EV Urban
Skoda Epiq
Skoda Epiq
Smart #5
7 Smart #5
Kia PV5
8 Kia PV5
